1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to containers, and more particularly to foldable insulated containers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Personal foldable containers ranging from purses to backpacks are well known. The containers are made of flexible material for convenience and comfort, but conventional containers are usually limited to a single purpose. For example, they are not designed to be folded flat for use as a comfortable cushion or seat.
Also well known are insulated containers, which are of two general types. Insulated containers of the rigid type are frequently fabricated as foam filled metal or as less expensive styrofoam chests. The major disadvantage of rigid containers is that their volume cannot be varied with the amount of the contents; they are thus inefficient for insulating small cargos. Rigid type containers are single purpose; in particular, they are not intended to function as comfortable seats. Further, they inefficiently use space when stored.
Relatively flexible insulated containers are known, and, like the rigid type, they come in various sizes. Although conventional non-rigid containers are capable of being collapsed, they are nevertheless not easily adjustable to conform to the volume of partial cargos.
Some flexible containers are constructed so they have a memory; upon release from a fully or partially collapsed mode, they immediately spring back in an uncontrolled fashion to a full sized container. That characteristic renders storage inconvenient. Moreover, it effectively prevents utilizing the container for efficiently insulating partial loads as well as for other purposes, such as cushions.
Accordingly, a need exists for an insulated container which is capable of efficiently insulating partial loads and which is not limited functionally to insulating purposes.